Saturday, March 15, 2008

The Elusive Seven-Bone Roast

I want this. I want it badly. Last year, I was able to do a special request at Byerly. So this year, despite the fact that I do have a freezer full of beef (and much to my husband's chagrin) I called to order one.

Apparently cows have gone boneless in the last year. I had some nice chats with a couple of butchers (really nice people, by the way. There's a job that has become invisible in today's world) and learned that the chain stores don't even have the option of getting those chuck roasts whole anymore. They come from the meat packing plant already de-boned, cut and ready to go. A few of the butchers and I commiserated on the loss... the tenderness and flavor is just not the same in those roasts. So, take a moment, if you will, to mourn the end of the good old days.

But wait a minute, all hope is not completely lost. This year, I WILL go to my freezer and pull out whatever chuck roast happens to be in there. But where did that roast come from? A COW. With BONES. On Dave's uncle's FARM. Saaay. I need to learn all of the technical specifications of what is a seven-bone roast, so that I can impress upon Uncle Gene that THAT ROAST is THE ONE. And I will beg, plead, cry if I have to, until I HAVE MY ROAST.